Duration of compulsory education in Samoa
Samoa: Duration of compulsory education was 8 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Duration of compulsory education in Samoa, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Samoa recorded 8 years for duration of compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, duration of compulsory education in Samoa peaked at 8 years in 1998 and was at its lowest, 8 years, in 1998.
That places Samoa 161st out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Duration of compulsory education in Samoa, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 years | — |
| 1999 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 8 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 8 years | +0.0% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 8 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 10 years, 80% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 8 years is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9 years, 89% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 8 years | 8 years | 8 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 161 Belize 8 years compare
- 161 Croatia 8 years compare
- 161 Eritrea 8 years compare
- 161 Ethiopia 8 years compare
- 161 India 8 years compare
- 161 Malawi 8 years compare
- 161 Micronesia (country) 8 years compare
- 161 Serbia 8 years compare
- 161 Somalia 8 years compare
- 161 South Sudan 8 years compare
- 161 Sudan 8 years compare
More education data for Samoa
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,211 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 397 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,580 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,585 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,964 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 34,962 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1171 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1604 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is duration of compulsory education in Samoa?
- Duration of compulsory education in Samoa was 8 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest duration of compulsory education recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- What is the lowest duration of compulsory education recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 years in 1998.
- How does Samoa rank for duration of compulsory education?
- Samoa ranks 161st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is duration of compulsory education rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Duration of compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of years of compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.